Football Coach Who Died Shielding Parkland Students Hailed As Hero

The security guard and coach was loved by all kids in the community. So it wasn't surprising to learn that he did all he could to shield them from the murderer.

It is with Great sadness that our Football Family has learned about the death of Aaron Feis. He was our Assistant Football Coach and security guard. He selflessly shielded students from the shooter when he was shot. He died a hero and he will forever be in our hearts and memories pic.twitter.com/O181FvuHl3

According to witnesses, NBC reports, as soon as the first gunshots were heard, Feis draped himself over students, and because of that, student Julien Decoste said, “[h]e took the bullets himself.”

Decoste survived by hiding in a closet along with other students. But watching Feis do what he did to save as many lives as possible is an image the student said he will never forget.

“As I was being escorted out of the building, I had to step over him," he said. "Right then and there ... I knew: He had to have been dead or injured."

While he confirmed that Feis was one of the victims, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel could not comment on Decoste’s statement. However, he added that he knew Feis personally and that the entire community will feel this loss.

“I know Aaron personally," Israel said in a press conference Thursday. "I coached with him, my two boys played for him. I don't know when Aaron's funeral is, I don't know how many adults will go, but you'll get 2,000 kids there. The kids in this community loved him. They adored him. He was one of the greatest people I knew. He was a phenomenal man."

On Twitter, many users who knew the heroic coachshared their stories.

No more coach Feis riding that golf cart every morning and monitoring the senior parking lot... I will miss seeing him every morning as I take my kids to school. RIP Coach

My wife went to Douglass and sees this coach everyday at Dunkin Donuts every morning m. She broke down crying when she thought he died. She says he is one of the most good hearted person she has ever met.

According to Johanna Mahaffey, Feis’ sister, her brother was a pillar of the community who would do anything to protect the kids. The fact he jumped between the bullets and the kids was just who he was, she added.

“He is a protector, a coach, and an educator," she told NBC.

As the news regarding the former student behind this massacre pours in, let us remember that for every act of cruelty and cowardice, a hero like Feis steps up and does the unthinkable to save lives.

These are the individuals we are celebrating today and will strive to be like tomorrow, if we’re ever put in similar situations.